One Fighting Championship has added another promoter to its
network of international affiliates, as the organization Wednesday
announced a partnership with Glory Sports International.

The Asia-exclusive deal will see the companies exchange fighters
between One FC events and those promoted by GSI under the Glory
and Dream
banners.

The first such show will take place Dec. 31, when GSI is set to
resurrect
the Dream brand under new management for Japan’s traditional
New Year’s Eve fight fest at Saitama Super Arena. While no pairings
have been confirmed, One FC CEO Victor Cui tells Sherdog.com that
GSI has expressed interest in adding a handful of One FC talent to
the bill. Among them, Dream lightweight champion Shinya Aoki
(Pictured) and bantamweight ace Bibiano
Fernandes -- fighters with “cult-like followings in the region”
who buy up tens of thousands of tickets, according to Cui -- as
well as longtime Japanese fan favorites Melvin
Manhoef and Phil Baroni,
rumored to be facing Hayato
Sakurai.

Headquartered in One FC’s home base of Singapore, GSI has its
origins in the Netherlands and the 1999 formation of Dutch
kickboxing gym
Golden Glory. Along with mixed kickboxing and MMA events under
the Glory name, the company this summer acquired the rights and
roster of long-running stand-up promotion It’s Showtime. One FC
events have featured a bevy of champion boxers and kickboxers, and
the partnership could provide a pipeline for strikers looking to
transition to MMA.

GSI joins a lengthy list of Asia-Pacific promoters and gyms in the
One FC Network, a talent-sharing partnership which looks to grow
the sport exponentially with what Cui calls “a distinctly Asian
approach of collaboration and inclusiveness.” By the CEO’s count,
the year-old network already contains the majority of the region’s
top talent -- by a substantial margin: “One FC has, by my estimate,
over 90 percent of the top fighters in Asia signed to exclusivity,
either directly through One FC or through our partners.”

But the most important role of the network, says Cui, is developing
high safety standards, even in regions without sanctioning
bodies.

“Everybody in the One FC network has an opportunity to talk about
the rules, safety, training, officials, referees, timekeepers
guidelines, and how to make sure this sport grows safely for the
fighters and the promoters. That’s really important, because you
want to make sure, if one of your fighters is competing in another
organization, that their welfare is looked after.”

Next up for Cui’s organization is
One FC 7, the company’s second Malaysian offering, which will
take place Feb. 2 at the 15,000-seat Putra Indoor Stadium in the
Kuala Lumpur suburb of Bukit Jalil. The event, which will be
broadcast live via online pay-per-view, is expected to be bolstered
by a new sponsor which Cui calls “a game-changer for the sport in
Malaysia.” According to One FC, that sponsor will be announced in
December.